Hansen not only debunks the myth that families in the U.S. are independent, isolated, and self-reliant units, she breaks new theoretical ground by asserting that informal networks of care can provide unique and valuable bonds that nuclear families cannot. In vivid family stories, parents detail how they and their networks of friends, paid caregivers, and extended kin collectively close the "care gap" for their school-aged children.
Rutgers University Press, 2005
REVIEWS
“Challenges the idea that Americans are individualistic, relying only upon themselves and their nuclear families. . . . beautifully illustrates the webs of interdependence that bind us together . . . . The book makes a masterful contribution to the literature.” Joya Misra, Journal of Marriage & Family
“Beautifully written -- and marvelously sociological . . . . ingenious case study approach.” Margaret K. Nelson, Gender & Society
“Bold research design pays off . . . This study vividly portrays how networks must be intentionally cultivated and reciprocated.” Mary Blair-Loy, Contemporary Sociology
AWARDS
William J. Goode Book Award, Honorable Mention
C. Wright Mills Award Finalist